The present invention concerns an electro-acoustic communication device and, more specifically, protective headgear like a helmet equipped with such device.
Protective headgear has been used for quite some time in various fields, either in a professional capacity, as is the case with respect to the military, the police or the firemen, or for private or personal use, as is the case with respect to motorbikes, rally or racing vehicles. Also known are helmets which are equipped with a communication means, permitting its user to communicate with another user wearing a similar headgear. In this respect, helmets may be cited in French Patents No. 2 289 072, No. 2 502 372 or even No. 2 471 112, which are equipped with rather complicated and not very satisfactory electro-acoustic devices. In fact, the headgear as described in prior art cannot be worn under difficult wearing conditions, for example by the firemen who undertake precarious interventions. An improvement was already proposed which is described in the French Patent Application No. 2 565 057 filed by applicant, according to which the connection between headgear and the electro-acoustic device is removable, while the sensor is an osteo-microphone, carried on one arm. In that same application another electro-acoustic device is proposed, whose connection with the headgear is also removable, but according to which the sensor is a simple microphone, carried on one arm.
However, all these known devices hold a certain number of drawbacks and specifically of being obstructive, little used as well as being relatively complex and fragile.
It is the object of the present invention to resolve the aforementioned drawbacks by proposing a new, particularly simple, reliable and practical device.
In accordance with the present invention, the electro-acoustic type communication device for protective headgear comprises a sensor, such as a microphone, and a receiver where the sensor and the receiver are arranged in a case and a connection attaches the case to the headgear, where the connection is removable.
In a further aspect of the present invention, the case is attached on the inside of the headgear in the zone or area occupied by the ear of the user. The case has an extension forming a connection tab, engaged in a lateral slide, integral with the headgear, having a complementary shape.
Further, the headgear is, for example, of the type comprising a deformable lining, consisting of a retention headband, a deformable partition or similar, The headband is fixed at the headgear by at least the lateral slide holding the communication device, while the lateral slide is integral with a frontal support piece fixed at the principal external shell of the headgear.
Still further advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.